Major Gifts Officer

Major Gifts Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Major Gifts Officer (MGO) will manage a portfolio of approximately 125 major gift donors.    The MGO will be responsible for identifying strategic opportunities, developing and implementing initiatives to identify, cultivate and solicit high-net worth donors to ensure a strong base of perpetual financial support.

About UNCF

The United Negro College Fund (UNCF), the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization, has been an engine of minority educational achievement for more than 70 years. UNCF’s mission is to build a robust and nationally recognized pipeline of black students who, because of UNCF support, become highly qualified college graduates. In addition, UNCF ensures that its member institutions remain respected models of best practices in moving students to and through college. Since its inception in 1944, UNCF has raised over $4.5 billion in private support, distributed more scholarships to help minorities attend school than any entity outside of the federal government, and enabled more than 425,000 minority and low-income students to graduate from UNCF’s member historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and launch professional careers. UNCF is committed to closing the educational attainment gap between African Americans and other populations by increasing postsecondary access and success for students from underrepresented groups, particularly low-income and first-generation students.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Designs and implements innovative strategies to identify, cultivate and solicit high-net worth donors for major gifts ($25K and above).
• Identifies and rates individual major gift prospects. Obtains information concerning financial capability, special interests, giving history, and current connections to UNCF and other causes.
• Effectively prepares meeting materials, stewardship reports and major gift solicitations including, but not limited to high-quality solicitation materials, proposals and investment decks.  Manages communication and donor interactions with programmatic leadership, including the President and CEO.
• Make direct, face-to-face solicitations (local and national), and assist the CEO, board and leadership staff with their solicitation (e.g. provide portfolio development support, strategic counsel, and help with donor communications). 12 to 15 in person visits per month. 
• Analyzes prospect research with a keen understanding of moves management to steward donors towards major gifts.
• Utilize Raiser’s Edge to track and manage donor/prospect portfolio and monitor individual results toward fundraising goal; adhere to timely reporting of results to ensure accuracy of the fundraising pipeline and year-end projection forecasts.    
• Provides stewardship over existing and future individual major gift and planned giving donors.
• Identifies, recruits and services volunteers.
• Maintains current and accurate files on all individual donors.
• Ensures compliance with UNCF policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities:
No supervisory responsibility.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education and/or Experience:
A Bachelor's degree from four-year College or university and at least 8-10 years of experience in fundraising, with 3-5 years of specific experience in cultivating individual gifts.

COMPETENCIES: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; Manages competing demands; Changes approach or method to best fit the situation; Able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Analytical - Collects and researches data; Designs workflows and procedures.
• Donor Stewardship – Ensure that a donor’s gift intentions and expectations are met within the parameters of UNCF’s Gift Policies to ensure a long-term, mutually-beneficial relationship.  Manage difficult or emotional donor/prospect occurrences; Respond promptly to donor/prospect needs and requests for service or assistance; solicit donor feedback to improve service; meet commitments.
• Ethics - Treat people with respect; inspires the trust of others; work with integrity and ethically; uphold organizational values.
• Interpersonal Skills - Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; maintain confidentiality; listens to others without interrupting; keeps emotions under control; remains open to others' ideas and tries new things.
• Leadership - Exhibits confidence in self and others; Inspires and motivates others to perform well; Effectively influences actions and opinions of others; Accepts feedback from others; Gives appropriate recognition to others.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.
• Written and Oral Communication - Writes and speaks clearly, persuasively and informatively.  Able to read and interpret written information. Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills.

Other Skills and Abilities:
Quantifiable experience conducting major fundraising activities at the half million dollar level and above that may include capital and annual giving campaigns; excellent organizational, written and verbal communication skills; volunteer management skills; strong planning skills and the ability to multi-task; outstanding human relations and managerial skills; demonstrative initiative; the ability to work with minimal supervision; and a working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Raiser’s Edge.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Benefits include:

Medical, Dental & Vision

Vacation, Sick & Personal Leave

Life Insurance (Basic & Optional)

Flex Spending Accounts

403(b) Retirement Account

Holiday Savings Plan

Annual Incentive Pay  

Salary Range: $84,900 to $95,000 (Salary is commensurate with experience.)

This is a hybrid position: 4 days in-person, 1-day remote work schedule, located in UNCF’s Atlanta or New Orleans offices.

Background checks required. 

UNCF is EOE M/F/D/V